]]>St. Louis will have the chance to fight in court against the Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the National Football League, a Missouri Supreme Court ruled this week.

While Kroenke motioned to move the suit into arbitration, the high court denied his request and will allow legal proceedings to continue in the St. Louis Circuit Court, rather than in secret.

“It’s a major deal,” Jim Shrewsbury, chairman of the public authority that owns the football stadium, told STLToday. “It guarantees us our day in court.”

This suit revolves around the Rams’ move from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016. The dome authority, St. Louis, and St. Louis County sued the Rams, the NFL, and the 31 other NFL teams and owners, alleging breach of contract, fraud, illegal enrichment and interference in business by the Rams and the NFL, and significant public financial loss. The suit has been assigned to St. Louis Circuit Judge Christopher McGraugh and could cost the team, as well as the NFL, millions of dollars.

Avoiding arbitration could mean a win for St. Louis, since the NFL hires a lot of arbiters, Shrewsbury said. Earlier this year, the Rams won a suit after it moved to arbitration after a panel ruled that the Rams could buy its 27-acre training camp practice facility in Earth City for $1, although it was worth at least $12.7 million.

In addition to these suits, fans who bought personal seat licenses (PSLs) sued the franchise to receive money back on their 30-year licenses. This past June, a judge approved a settlement with the Rams, allowing PSL holders to receive up to $24 million. This December, payouts will begin, allowing PSL owners to receive 30 percent of the original purchase price, covering the 9 years that remained on the 30-year licenses.

]]>https://www.ticketnews.com/2019/09/rams-lawsuit-blocked-from-arbitration-by-missouri-supreme-court/feed/0Broadway Producer of Failed ‘Rebecca’ Musical Arrested On Child Porn Chargeshttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/08/broadway-producer-of-failed-rebecca-musical-arrested-on-child-porn-charges/
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 21:54:18 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=44124A Broadway Producer, whose first big show was set to debut a few years ago before it was cancelled, has been arrested on child pornography charges. Ben Sprecher, 65, was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography, the Associated Press reports. While he was released on $100,000 bail, he...

]]>A Broadway Producer, whose first big show was set to debut a few years ago before it was cancelled, has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Ben Sprecher, 65, was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography, the Associated Press reports. While he was released on $100,000 bail, he is warned to avoid unsupervised contact with children. According to Peter C. Fitzhugh, the head of the New York office of Homeland Security Investigations, Sprecher made more than 100 files involving children available for downloading. Electronic files received from his computer showed a 46-minute video of a pre-teen girl performing sex acts with an adult male.

“Sexualizing young children is unconscionable and this Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to utilize all of the expertise and resources available to shine a light on every dark corner where it is produced, shared, and possessed,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said of the report.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Rothschild told a magistrate judge that Sprecher had been engaging in this type of online activity for a while, and during a search of his home earlier this week, detectives found that Sprecher had files since last October. He admitted to possessing these files.

Sprecher was set to make his big-break in 2012 as the lead producer of the $12 million Broadway show Rebecca, but the musical never made it to the stage. A stockbrocker, who had gone back on his financial promises, admitted that he’d purposely swindled the producers. He is best-known as a producer for shows A Moon for the Misbegotten, American Buffalo, and the Tony Award-nominee Fortune’s Fool. He’s also worked as a theater owner and manager who built venues like the Promenade Theatre and Little Shubert Theatre.

]]>Canadiens Season Tickets Center Of Court Battle After Divorcehttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/08/canadiens-season-tickets-center-of-court-battle-after-divorce/
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 21:27:41 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=44077One man’s divorce led to his former brother-in-law missing out on six years-worth of hockey games. After a lengthy legal battle, a judge sided with one of the men, finding that he had every right to use the Canadiens season-tickets that his former brother-in-law denied him. According to The Spec,...

]]>One man’s divorce led to his former brother-in-law missing out on six years-worth of hockey games. After a lengthy legal battle, a judge sided with one of the men, finding that he had every right to use the Canadiens season-tickets that his former brother-in-law denied him.

According to The Spec, the Canadiens fan Louis Terzopoulos was awarded $45,000 in compensation after he argued that his former brother-in-law Petros Sakaris did not allow him to use his season ticket seats that they had shared over the past 19 years. The seats, which were described by a former Montreal Coanadiens executive as “among the best seats in the house” during a court session, had an unobstructed view above the penalty bench on the centre-ice red line in the Centre Bell.

The pair, who had met each other through their respective girlfriends – and then wives – had discussed owning season tickets together, and in 1995, Sakaris scored tickets from someone who was giving up her seats for the team’s previous home at the Montreal Forum. Both men divided the cost of the seats, but only one person could be named on the account. Since the tickets were under Sakaris’ name, he has denied Terzopoulos his tickets since 2014 when he went through a difficult divorce.

Terzopoulos argued that this was not fair, since the duo had split the regular season tickets equally for years, so he essentially had rights to those seats. Justice Jeffrey Edwards agreed, noting there was “overwhelming evidence” that confirms the two shared the season tickets together, and that the agreement between Terzopoulos and Sakaris should have been “treated separately and independently from the marriage breakdown of Louis and Petros’ sister-in-law.”

“In his testimony, Petros admitted that he refused to provide further tickets to Louis on the basis of the recriminations of his sister-in-law against Louis,” the judge wrote. “In so doing, Petros took the law into his own hands and meted out what he felt was a deserved punishment for Louis.”

Now, Sakaris owes $8,000 to Terzopolous for the loss of enjoyment of the prime seating during both the regular season and playoff games, as well as $1,050 for a souvenir Montreal Forum seat that he did not give to Terzopolous. The remaining portion of the $44,849 is for Terzopolous’ share of the season tickets, legal fees, and his registration on the team’s waiting list.

Sakaris’ attorney is planning to appeal the case.

The Canadiens are currently in their preseason; the official season kicks-off on October 3 when they’ll take on the Hurricanes.

]]>A$AP Rocky Released From Swedish Prison After One Monthhttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/08/aap-rocky-released-from-swedish-prison-after-one-month/
Fri, 02 Aug 2019 18:46:48 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=43684Rapper A$AP Rocky, who has been jailed in Sweden for the last several weeks, was released from prison and allowed to return to the U.S. this morning, TMZ reported. Rocky was sent to a detention center about a month ago in Stockholm for an altercation which occurred where he allegedly...

]]>Rapper A$AP Rocky, who has been jailed in Sweden for the last several weeks, was released from prison and allowed to return to the U.S. this morning, TMZ reported.

Rocky was sent to a detention center about a month ago in Stockholm for an altercation which occurred where he allegedly beat another man in a street brawl. According to the victim, Rocky assaulted him by kicking and beating him with a glass bottle while he was on the ground. The rapper pleaded not guilty, claiming that himself and his associates Bladimir Corniel and David Rispers were acting in self defense.

Swedish prosecutors reportedly wanted him to spend six months in prison for assault charges, noting that “we have three people delivering kicks and punches to a person lying down.” However, a pair of eyewitnesses told the court that they did not see Rocky use any sort of bottle as a weapon during the altercation in question, and according to Rocky’s lawyer, there was no evidence that the bottle hit the victim.

Many artists called for his release from the detention center including A$AP Ferg and Tyga, who cancelled his concert in Sweden in support of Rocky. Additionally, President Donald Trump called for Rocky’s release and even reached out to the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. While he was jailed, Rocky had to call off his performance at Barcelona’s Sonar Festival

Two other defendants that were jailed with Rocky were also released since the judge did not find them as a flight risk. They are able to return home to the U.S. while he is awaiting a verdict, which is expected on August 14.

]]>Concertgoer Sues For Injuries Sustained During Snoop Dogg Gighttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/07/concertgoer-sues-for-injuries-sustained-during-snoop-dogg-gig/
Thu, 25 Jul 2019 21:16:51 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=43424A fan who attended the Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa concert in 2016 has sued the singers and promoter Live Nation after sustaining injuries during the show when a railing collapsed. The show in question took place on August 5, 2016 at Camden, New Jersey’s BB&T Pavilion. In the middle...

]]>A fan who attended the Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa concert in 2016 has sued the singers and promoter Live Nation after sustaining injuries during the show when a railing collapsed.

The show in question took place on August 5, 2016 at Camden, New Jersey’s BB&T Pavilion. In the middle of the concert, Snoop Dogg told the audience, “Everybody in the motherfucking lawn, bring your ass down here.” Upon request, attendees started to surge forward, causing a barrier to collapse. Dozens of fans fell about 10 feet on concrete, people fell on top of one another, and many were crushed in the chaos. During the collapse, 50 people fell and 42 were injured.

After the incident, 17 plaintiffs filed a suit against the performers and the owner of the venue back in 2016, but Snoop Dogg was cleared from the suit in 2017 for being sued in the wrong state. One of the injured fans who was 16-years-old at the time, Ericka Rose, believes that Snoop Dogg should pay for damages because he had urged the crowd to push forward. She claims that she suffered “various and diverse” injuries that caused her “great pain and suffering.” While the exact injuries were not specified, the lawsuit claims a loss in her earning capacity, medical needs and costs, and caused her “great anxiety.”

The 11-count lawsuit does not specify a damage amount, but is asking to “reasonably and properly compensate” Rosa and cover interest, as well as reimbursement of legal costs. Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr., is one of the 10 defendants named in the suit, along with BB&T Pavilion, promoter Live Nation, and a handful of companies associated with the event and staging.

]]>R Kelly’s Crisis Manager Quits Amid Singer’s New Allegationshttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/07/r-kellys-crisis-manager-quits-amid-singers-new-allegations/
Wed, 24 Jul 2019 16:59:30 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=43354R. Kelly’s crisis manager has called it quits this week amid the singer’s sexual abuse allegations. Darrel Johnson, who had served as Kelly’s crisis manager for months, appeared on CBS This Morning on Monday. During the interview, Gayle King asked Johnson point-blank if he would allow his 20-year-old daughter to...

]]>R. Kelly’s crisis manager has called it quits this week amid the singer’s sexual abuse allegations.

Darrel Johnson, who had served as Kelly’s crisis manager for months, appeared on CBS This Morning on Monday. During the interview, Gayle King asked Johnson point-blank if he would allow his 20-year-old daughter to be alone with Kelly, to which he responded “absolutely not.”

Most recently, he made headlines for allegedly paying off the family that was at the forefront of his trial back in 2008, which alleged that he produced child pornography with a 14-year-old girl. According to the two indictments which were opened earlier this month, Kelly and his associate gave the girl from the video and her family money and gifts for more than a dozen years. He was arrested and is currently awaiting trial.

]]>Drake Sued By Fan Who Was Injured During 2016 Gighttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/07/drake-sued-by-a-fan-injured-during-2016-gig/
Wed, 17 Jul 2019 18:58:58 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=43163A fan is suing hip-hop star Drake after she was injuring during a show in 2016 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. According to court documents, which were obtained by The Blast, Amanda Giovacco was “violently struck by a beer bottle that was thrown while attending the Drake concert,”...

]]>A fan is suing hip-hop star Drake after she was injuring during a show in 2016 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

According to court documents, which were obtained by The Blast, Amanda Giovacco was “violently struck by a beer bottle that was thrown while attending the Drake concert,” and was “maliciously and without just cause or provocation, subjected to a battery.” Joseph Picco, an employee of MSG, as well as Live Nation Worldwide, are also named in the suit.

Giovacco claims that Drake and the co-defenders are held responsible for being unable to stop “aggressive and/or violent behavior at the concert” and cited that “they knew Drake has history of violence at his concerts.” The suit also points out that the Garden was overcrowded and too much liquor was provided to fans, which in turn, caused inadequate “monitoring and surveillance of the premises during the concert as to prevent aggressive behavior from escalating.”

After being struck by the bottle, Giovacco endured serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and seizures, which ultimately halted her from attending medical school. Giovacco’s legal team notes that her future “is now precarious,” and believe that someone should be held responsible for the injuries she suffered.

The concert in question took place on August 8, 2016 as a part of Drake & Future’s Summer Sixteen Tour.

]]>Ticketmaster is caught in another class-action lawsuit in federal court which claims the ticketing giant unlawfully contracts with scalpers and profits from the dealing, violating California law.

Mahmoud Ameri and Erin Ouborg, represented by Brent A. Robinson of Atman-Smith & Marcy, brought on the lawsuit after they purchased tickets through Ticketmaster and were financially hurt, Top Class Actions reports. According to the suit, the customers said that Ticketmaster sells tickets in bulk on its website to professional resellers and then the tickets are sold at an inflated price. The duo claim that Ticketmaster receives double commission and believe the practice is “unlawful.”

The suit also claims that Ticketmaster denounces scalping, stating that bulk purchases by resellers are prohibited, but the company is contradicting themselves. Ameri and Ouborg note that while the company does not enter into agreements with resellers, they provide computer programs to scalpers and encourage resellers to use fake identities to purchase tickets. They pointed to TradeDesk, calling the program a “computerized system secretly created by Ticketmaster for professional scalpers.”

TradeDesk has faced harsh criticism over the past year after a Ticketmaster salesperson told an undercover reporter for CBC that the company turns a blind eye to brokers who buy tickets on their site and operates in resale.

The duo say that Ticketmaster’s conduct, including hiking prices, violates California Business and Professions Code, along with the Cartwright Act. They believe that Ticketmaster is “entering into and engaging in unlawful contract, combination, and conspiracy.”

This is just one of the lawsuits against Ticketmaster; one stems from a Regina, Saskatchawan-based lawyer, and another is based in the United States, where the Hagens Berman firm is seeking consumers who feel they have been affected by Ticketmaster’s policies to form the basis of a lawsuit here. Additionally, a California government official has proposed legislation that would ban TradeDesk from selling tickets on the secondary market, claiming that all “California [should] have equitable access to tickets.”

]]>R. Kelly Charged With 11 New Felony Sex-Related Crimeshttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/05/r-kelly-charged-with-11-sex-related-crimes/
Thu, 30 May 2019 20:37:50 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=41852R. Kelly has found himself in even more trouble this week as Cook County prosecutors filed a new series of sexual assault charges against the singer. He now faces 11 new sex abuse charges, with some that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. According to the Chicago...

]]>R. Kelly has found himself in even more trouble this week as Cook County prosecutors filed a new series of sexual assault charges against the singer. He now faces 11 new sex abuse charges, with some that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the new alleged offense took place in January 2010. While the charging document does not contain many details, the case may not involve a new victim, since the initials in the most recent case match intials from a previous case. These charges include four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault by force, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between the ages of 13 and 16.

This is the most serious sentence he has faced so far in his legal battles. Earlier this year, he was charged with 10 counts of sexual assault following the release of the Lifetime docu-series Surviving R. Kelly. He is currently free on $1 million bond following his indictment in February, however, he will have to appear in court for the new case on June 6.

Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, told the Sun-Times that he did not see any filings in the case yet but said the allegations are from “years ago.” Greenberg has vehemently denied all of Kelly’s accusations over the past few months and has repeatedly claimed that all the women who have come forward are lying.

Over the past 20 years, Kelly has been accused of sexual assault multiple times, and he was never exonerated for these alleged crimes. However, these all came to light in Surviving R. Kelly as a dozen women spoke on-camera about their experiences with the singer. He has been accused of raping, sexually assaulting, and harassing girls, as well as running a “sex cult” in his Atlanta home. Since the docu-series aired, Kelly has faced harsh criticism. He was dropped from his label, his music was pulled from streaming services, and many artists began to speak out against him.

Additionally, he became wrapped-up in a legal mess with hiz ex-wife, Andrea Kelly, for failing to pay child support. In an effort to pay back the money he owed, Kelly tried to book several concerts in the U.S. and overseas, but almost all of them were cancelled either by the venue or with the help of the #MuteRKelly movement. His finances began to fall apart, with court documents revealing that he hit negatives in one bank account and has less than $700 in another.

His latest case, which was brought on by a woman who claimed Kelly abused her in the ’90s when she was underage, is still ongoing. The woman is seeking $500,000, and when Kelly did not show up to his court appearance, the judge sided with the victim. However, Kelly’s lawyers claimed that the signed court papers should be ruled out because Kelly was unable to read.

]]>Remy Ma, Safaree Sued Over Failure To Play Benefit Concerthttps://www.ticketnews.com/2019/05/remy-ma-safaree-sued-over-benefit-concert/
Tue, 14 May 2019 14:28:55 +0000https://www.ticketnews.com/?p=41370Rappers Remy Ma and Safaree are being sued after they failed to show up to a benefit concert they had agreed to play last year. The benefit show was slated to take place at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on April 21, 2018. While the rappers had signed a contract...

]]>Rappers Remy Ma and Safaree are being sued after they failed to show up to a benefit concert they had agreed to play last year.

The benefit show was slated to take place at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on April 21, 2018. While the rappers had signed a contract to perform at the show, neither showed up. The Circle Foundation, which mentors youth within the city, is now suing Remy Ma and Safaree for forcing them to cancel the show when the artists breached their contracts. According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Remy received a $35,000 deposit and Safaree received $7,250.

The suit also notes that both rappers agreed to not perform within 60 miles of the arena for 30 days before the event as a part of a “performance exclusivity” clause, which is normally put in place to ensure promoters that their concert is in hot demand. However, Remy Ma reportedly performed at the Black Women’s Expo in Chicago on April 8 and Safaree played the Rockin’ Horse Saloon & Grill in a Chicago suburb on April 14.

Remy Ma and Safaree are being sued for The Circle Foundation’s lost funds. Remy’s attorney, Eric Sanders, told TMZ that she is “unaware of any purported legal action filed, but if such action is initiated she will respond accordingly.”

Currently, Remy Ma is also caught-up with another legal issue after she was accused of attacking her Love & Hip-Hop co-star Brittney Taylor backstage at a concert at Irving Plaza last month. She was charged with third-degree assault.